2008-07-29

Day 9

I don’t miss New York. Being here does not make me miss this place. It’s just pandemonium. Too many people, cars, buildings, everything. It’s a consumptive capital of chaos that makes me miss Denver, Portland, and the road. With a helmet on, I’m physically confined in my own world. In New York I have to force it. To go from the white noise isolation of the bike and the road to New York City—too much. It’s been fun though, one of the most enjoyable parts of the trip. People said, A weekend in New York, that’s cool. Eventually I stopped caring, completely, that I would be in New York. All I wanted was to park my bike and spend time with my friend. The closer I got to the city, riding in New Jersey, the more dangerous it got, until I made it into the city. By far the most dangerous riding I’ve ever done. I nearly collapsed after I got out of the Lincoln Tunnel. The concentrated heat and fumes of a million cars, in all my riding gear. I parked and finished what water I had left; it’s just too much.

I’m not looking forward to the ride back, all the way across the country, one shot, but I am looking forward to riding outside of New York City.